This book presents an up-to-date set of contributions by the most influential authors on the Steiner Tree problem. The authors address the latest concerns of Steiner Trees for their computational complexity, design of algorithms, performance guaranteed heuristics, computational experimentation, and range of applications. Audience: The book is intended for advanced undergraduates, graduates and research scientists in Combinational Optimization and Computer Science. It is divided into two sections: Part I includes papers on the general geometric Steiner Tree problem in the plane and higher dimensions; Part II includes papers on the Steiner problem on graphs which has significant import to Steiner Tree applications.
The Volume on Advances in Steiner Trees is divided into two sections. The first section of the book includes papers on the general geometric Steiner tree problem in the plane and higher dimensions. The second section of the book includes papers on the Steiner problem on graphs. The general geometric Steiner tree problem assumes that you have a given set of points in some d-dimensional space and you wish to connect the given points with the shortest network possible. The given set ofpoints are 3 Figure 1: Euclidean Steiner Problem in E usually referred to as terminals and the set ofpoints that may be added to reduce the overall length of the network are referred to as Steiner points. What makes the problem difficult is that we do not know a priori the location and cardinality ofthe number ofSteiner points. Thus)the problem on the Euclidean metric is not known to be in NP and has not been shown to be NP-Complete. It is thus a very difficult NP-Hard problem.
In recent years, algorithmic graph theory has become increasingly important as a link between discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science. This textbook introduces students of mathematics and computer science to the interrelated fields of graphs theory, algorithms and complexity.
The Steiner tree problem is one of the most important combinatorial optimization problems. It has a long history that can be traced back to the famous mathematician Fermat (1601-1665). This book studies three significant breakthroughs on the Steiner tree problem that were achieved in the 1990s, and some important applications of Steiner tree problems in computer communication networks researched in the past fifteen years. It not only covers some of the most recent developments in Steiner tree problems, but also discusses various combinatorial optimization methods, thus providing a balance between theory and practice.
The Steiner problem asks for a shortest network which spans a given set of points. Minimum spanning networks have been well-studied when all connections are required to be between the given points. The novelty of the Steiner tree problem is that new auxiliary points can be introduced between the original points so that a spanning network of all the points will be shorter than otherwise possible. These new points are called Steiner points - locating them has proved problematic and research has diverged along many different avenues.This volume is devoted to the assimilation of the rich field of intriguing analyses and the consolidation of the fragments. A section has been given to each of the three major areas of interest which have emerged. The first concerns the Euclidean Steiner Problem, historically the original Steiner tree problem proposed by Jarník and Kössler in 1934. The second deals with the Steiner Problem in Networks, which was propounded independently by Hakimi and Levin and has enjoyed the most prolific research amongst the three areas. The Rectilinear Steiner Problem, introduced by Hanan in 1965, is discussed in the third part. Additionally, a forth section has been included, with chapters discussing areas where the body of results is still emerging.The collaboration of three authors with different styles and outlooks affords individual insights within a cohesive whole.
This book is a collection of articles studying various Steiner tree prob lems with applications in industries, such as the design of electronic cir cuits, computer networking, telecommunication, and perfect phylogeny. The Steiner tree problem was initiated in the Euclidean plane. Given a set of points in the Euclidean plane, the shortest network interconnect ing the points in the set is called the Steiner minimum tree. The Steiner minimum tree may contain some vertices which are not the given points. Those vertices are called Steiner points while the given points are called terminals. The shortest network for three terminals was first studied by Fermat (1601-1665). Fermat proposed the problem of finding a point to minimize the total distance from it to three terminals in the Euclidean plane. The direct generalization is to find a point to minimize the total distance from it to n terminals, which is still called the Fermat problem today. The Steiner minimum tree problem is an indirect generalization. Schreiber in 1986 found that this generalization (i.e., the Steiner mini mum tree) was first proposed by Gauss.
The design of approximation algorithms for spanning tree problems has become an exciting and important area of theoretical computer science and also plays a significant role in emerging fields such as biological sequence alignments and evolutionary tree construction. While work in this field remains quite active, the time has come to collect under
The rousing story of the last gasp of human agency and how today’s best and brightest minds are endeavoring to put an end to it. It used to be that to diagnose an illness, interpret legal documents, analyze foreign policy, or write a newspaper article you needed a human being with specific skills—and maybe an advanced degree or two. These days, high-level tasks are increasingly being handled by algorithms that can do precise work not only with speed but also with nuance. These “bots” started with human programming and logic, but now their reach extends beyond what their creators ever expected. In this fascinating, frightening book, Christopher Steiner tells the story of how algorithms took over—and shows why the “bot revolution” is about to spill into every aspect of our lives, often silently, without our knowledge. The May 2010 “Flash Crash” exposed Wall Street’s reliance on trading bots to the tune of a 998-point market drop and $1 trillion in vanished market value. But that was just the beginning. In Automate This, we meet bots that are driving cars, penning haiku, and writing music mistaken for Bach’s. They listen in on our customer service calls and figure out what Iran would do in the event of a nuclear standoff. There are algorithms that can pick out the most cohesive crew of astronauts for a space mission or identify the next Jeremy Lin. Some can even ingest statistics from baseball games and spit out pitch-perfect sports journalism indistinguishable from that produced by humans. The interaction of man and machine can make our lives easier. But what will the world look like when algorithms control our hospitals, our roads, our culture, and our national security? What happens to businesses when we automate judgment and eliminate human instinct? And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others? Who knows—maybe there’s a bot learning to do your job this minute.
This new and updated edition of Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota combines the practicality of a field guide with all the basic information homeowners need to create an effective landscape design. The plant profiles section includes comprehensive descriptions of approximately 150 flowers, trees, shrubs, vines, evergreens, grasses, and ferns that grew in Minnesota before European settlement, as well as complete information on planting, maintenance, and landscape uses for each plant. The book also includes complete information on how to garden successfully in Minnesotas harsh climate and how to install and maintain an attractive, low-maintenance home landscape suitable for any lifestyle.
The problem of "Shortest Connectivity", which is discussed here, has a long and convoluted history. Many scientists from many fields as well as laymen have stepped on its stage. Usually, the problem is known as Steiner's Problem and it can be described more precisely in the following way: Given a finite set of points in a metric space, search for a network that connects these points with the shortest possible length. This shortest network must be a tree and is called a Steiner Minimal Tree (SMT). It may contain vertices different from the points which are to be connected. Such points are called Steiner points. Steiner's Problem seems disarmingly simple, but it is rich with possibilities and difficulties, even in the simplest case, the Euclidean plane. This is one of the reasons that an enormous volume of literature has been published, starting in 1 the seventeenth century and continuing until today. The difficulty is that we look for the shortest network overall. Minimum span ning networks have been well-studied and solved eompletely in the case where only the given points must be connected. The novelty of Steiner's Problem is that new points, the Steiner points, may be introduced so that an intercon necting network of all these points will be shorter. This also shows that it is impossible to solve the problem with combinatorial and geometric methods alone.
